Last July, Beerenberg did something radical. It changed its labels. And you're thinking, "Radical?" Well, Beerenberg jams, condiments and sauces have looked the same for 40 years.
In the six months that followed, Beerenberg sales increased by up to 30%. The rebrand was a response to a flood of new arrivals in its categories, from multinational to artisan, local and imported.
That has to make the results sweeter for the sixth generation of the Paech family who have lived and worked on the South Australian farm, Beerenberg, since 1839. The Paech family began selling strawberry jam with fruit sourced from its Hahndorf strawberry patch out of a roadside stall in 1970. It is now a major player nationally in its three food categories.
Beerenberg managing director, Anthony Paech, said the strongest growth had come from independent grocers but that even Coles and Woolworths had seen a significant lift in sales.
"Most pleasingly, our strongest increases in demand came from the key markets of NSW, Victoria and Queensland which were up between 23 and 32 per cent – representing a major breakthrough in Beerenberg's efforts to become a truly national brand," Paech said.
Beerenberg's retail outlet on its Hahndorf farm, which stocks the company's entire range of products, recorded December sales which were 20 per cent above the same month last year. In January, a traditionally quieter period through other stockists, Beerenberg had its best ever month of retail sales nationally.
The re-branding was undertaken with the help of marketing strategy firm, Stepchange Marketing, and design consultancy, The Elk Group. The launch relied entirely on events, publicity and digital and social media driven jointly by Beerenberg and Hughes Public Relations. Significantly, the brand revamp introduction did not include any traditional advertising and did not come at any cost to profit margins.
Paech said the strong increase in sales had confirmed a long-held belief that consumers were increasingly discerning in their search for quality, authenticity and provenance in a market that had become global and homogeneous – and lost consumer trust as a result.
Beerenberg had been promoting its authenticity via digital and social media, including its Provenance Pathway device, which allows purchasers to enter the barcode of a purchased product onto the company's website, trace the local sources of ingredients and meet the people responsible for its creation.
"There is a warmth and accessibility around the Beerenberg brand that makes us different to so many other products, and we think that's special in a market that's becoming more and more crowded by the big players.
"You can actually visit our farm, pick the strawberries that go into our jam, talk to us and share recipes – and we love it as much as you do. We're proud of this, we're proud of all our products and we're proud of our Australian roots – and this is what our new brand celebrates."
